The thing I believe in is a very simple thing that we do every day, all day long and it doesn't seem like much to many people, but I realized the impact it has had on my life. I believe in choices.

Choices are something that I have total control over. The reason I feel that these are so important are because they all have an effect on things that occur. In eighth grade, a decision I made then, decided why choices have become an important part of my life. A bunch of guys on a routine Tuesday afternoon were just hanging out at my friend's house. We then decided to roam the neighborhood; little did I know that this was a quest to search for alcohol. After one of my buddies stole some beer from a person's garage all of us went to a creek to drink it. For what ever reason, I felt no reason to drink. Little did I know that this choice would have such an impact on my life choices. All the guys who drank ended up getting in trouble with the police and having to be on diversion for six months. This simple choice I made to not partake in these festivities changed my mindset on decision making. Everyday we are faced with choices, whether it is to study for a test or cheat on a test, whether it is to hang out with a friend or to do your homework. These simple choices can have a larger impact than you think. Every choice has a consequence that can be good or bad. The thing I now know is that the consequences can last for a minute, a day, a month, or a lifetime. A choice is an opportunity waiting to happen. There is meaning behind every choice I make, what will be the effect if I do this. I believe in choices because it defines who you are, it shows the morals you have. A person can be noticed by what they do and how they approach a decision. A choice explains the reasoning behind your ideas. In turn, my decisions reflect my reasoning which is based on my ethics and standards. The effects that come of a choice strike me as interesting and meaningful, exemplifying what I want to happen. These are all reasons that choices make such an impact on our lives, in fact they steer the direction in which our lives are heading. Choices mean so much to me because they are my own. No one else can make a decision for me, only me. Every time I make a choice now, I look at myself and decide what will be the best and how can I balance the costs with the benefits. A choice is a bet with the mind, gambling on what will become of that decision. It's a very simple task we do it everyday, but now I know how much of an impact a choice can make on my life and I strive to make the correct choices to live my life the way I want to live it.